Phew! They’re Chatty!

September 3, 2013

One of my biggest take aways from a New Teacher Center Mentor Academy last year was, “the ones who are doing the talking are doing the learning.” The focus of that academy was Coaching for Equity, and we spent time thinking about Conditions that Support Students with Exceptionalities.

Early on in that academy, one of my amazing colleagues suggested that all students are exceptional, and that became our platform as a group. We had previously agreed that the strategies that best support students in Advanced Placement classes, provide similarly rich learning experiences for students who might struggle… so this was not a huge leap for us.

I spent the rest of the year seeing opportunities everywhere I looked to get kids talking! If I reflected with teachers about one idea last year it was, “the ones who are doing the talking are doing the learning.” We thought hard in kindergarten, third grade and eighth grade about how to make the most of that statement. And we all watched the videos on the NTC Oral Language Development site together.

And Now in My Classroom…

As I get to know my new community of sixth graders this year, I find myself reflecting on these ideas daily. We spend a great deal of energy as teachers, doing what we can to diminish students’ chatter. “If not in September, then when?” we rhetorically ask each other as we defend our systems of consequences. This year, a nagging voice in my head keeps reminding me that, “the ones who are doing the talking are doing the learning.”

Now, I know that the kids who are talking about what happened in PE instead of setting up their desks for my class, are not (in that moment) doing the learning in my classroom. Believe me, I’m not proposing a ban on silent homeroom (how could I survive?), silent moments of organization, or silence anywhere else that it benefits student learning. I am wondering though… how I can capitalize on the fact that these students like to talk?

Next Steps

What I am proposing is that we take the chatter and grow it into academic conversation. Let’s turn these talkers into active listeners! I recognized on Tuesday that I am sharing a room with some very social 11 year-olds this year. Today, after a 60 second turn and talk responding to the prompt, “what do you know about a seed story or a watermelon story?” I was sure this was the right move.

Harness the power of talking!

One student raised his hand and said loudly (in a lunchroom voice), “Zachary suggested that a seed story was a story about one small thing that happened, but was really important.” Then, he turned and looked at Zachary for approval, who nodded, and added, “and I agree.” Next, I did 3 internal cartwheels and I calmly provided specific feedback about the way he used his partner’s name, and how actively he must have been listening to provide such a response, and smiled.

This was amazing positive reinforcement for me! And, this incredible moment was no accident… I know, because I’ve been carefully dissecting the moments leading up to what I now realize was (drum roll please) my most successful moment of the entire school year. Here’s what I found supported this amazing moment:

How Did It Happen?

As I gave the turn and talk prompt, I told the students I would be paying close attention to how actively they would be listening to each other. Next, I told them I would not be asking them to share out their own ideas, but instead a partner’s. Then, I listed some sentence stems on the board as they talked like, “My partner______ said…” and “Talking with ___ changed my thinking because ____…” and “_____ suggested.” I will continue to encourage the use of these sentence stems in my classroom as evidence of active listening during collaboration.

How will you harness the strengths your students arrived with this week? What amazing moment of teaching and learning happened in your classroom today… and what did you do to engineer it?

💔Not all of the homes our students live in, are meant for a 24/7 quarantine. Not all of the adults who live with children can handle the added pressure. For many of our students, school has been an escape, a respite, a safe haven- from their home lives. And that escape was taken 3 months ago without warning.

🛎 I’ve come to appreciate in recent months, the vital role public school departments play in our communities. The scale of the work has been much grander than the academics and due dates. There are mobile food stations and wellness checks, phone calls and internet setups. There are intuitive teachers recognizing that “something’s just not right” and administrators encouraging them to trust their instincts.

🌼Kids are resilient. Often, they are so strong and brave, you’d never guess where they’ve been.

🌈The WHOLE picture is a big one right now. Before you judge a decision, know that there’s a whole lot you do not know. And know, that everyone involved has the best of intentions. I am in awe of the amazingly thoughtful and important work being done by my educator colleagues in schools all over right now. ...